tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post4113185870985624188..comments2014-01-12T10:46:48.153-07:00Comments on The Geomblog: Applying for Jobs : Phone InterviewsSuresh Venkatasubramaniannoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555947.post-1839135010170597162011-06-12T08:58:36.849-06:002011-06-12T08:58:36.849-06:00First of all, congrats to Jeff on your new positio...First of all, congrats to Jeff on your new position. I think more than 10 from our original batch of CIFellows have joined academia as faculty members ... fulfilling the original goals of the program. Wish you all the best.<br /><br />Now, back to the topic: great suggestions. I will add a few more points:<br /><br />1. Please sound enthusiastic!! The interviewer(s) can&#39;t see you, so all you have is your voice to show your enthusiasm. A nice trick the career office at UIUC taught us was to smile (even if a fake one!!) during the conversation ... somehow that shows up in your voice. <br /><br />2. For a phone interview, it is better to use a land line. I learned it the hard way when trying to listen to questions through a noisy cell phone connection. The committee conducting the interview may be using a speakerphone, and you really need good phone connectivity to listen to their questions/comments.<br /><br />3. Be prepared. Write down your pitch (&quot;Tell me about your research&quot;), and practice reading it so that it doesn&#39;t sound like you&#39;re reading from a script.<br /><br />4. As Jeff suggests, do your research on who the interviewer is, what courses are taught in the university, what is the direction of research there.<br /><br />5. Always, Always have a list of questions to ask. Not just one. And have that list in front of you ... they always expect you to have these questions. Even if you know the answer, asking questions shows that you are serious and interested about the position.<br /><br />I had several phone interviews prior to the campus visits this year. While a few of them were just to know if I&#39;m serious about the place, the others were actually formal interviews lasting half hour or so. The univ I&#39;m joining had a phone interview round followed by a campus interview a few weeks later. This is perhaps becoming a trend in CS.Ragib Hasanhttp://www.ragibhasan.comnoreply@blogger.com